Category Archives: Student Blogs

Social Media and Social Change

@MyDtcAccount – Jonathan Crabtree

 

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” This quote, accredited to Aristotle, is an indication of how powerful people can be when they come together, and how long it has been this way. Since before the time of Aristotle, people have been congregating in order to achieve a goal that would be too difficult to reach by themselves. Social media has given society an easier way than ever before of getting people with like-minded ideals and goals together. One of the ways that people are drawn to others is through the use of stories. The neurological process of hearing stories causes people to remember the idea that was communicated in the story longer than when they are simply told an idea or goal. Deanna Zandt states that “social networking gives us unprecedented power to share our stories with more people than we ever imagined” (1). This “unprecedented power” has organized protests, rebellions, and weekend get-aways to the beach, with more ease than ever before. Gone are the days of having to go around areas and posting physical material and hoping to get the populations’ attention, or relying on word of mouth to spread the date of an event. Individuals are now able to directly contact people and open up message boards so that everyone interested in the event is able to get on the same page and there’s no confusion.

Zandt presents six key terms (originally presented by Tara Hunt) that increase an individual’s value within a social media environment – although I would posit that they are all transferable to real-life value. The main one that social media immediatly improves is the term “connections.” By being a part of a social media environment, people are connected with others, which can lead to a discussion of ideas and eventually bloom into a full-blown event that seeks to create social change.

Social Media

Social media has created a place for people with like minded ideas or just looking for an outlet to express their opinions on a subject, whether it be political or some kind of movement, and have that message be heard. According to Zandt , “Social Networking gives us unprecedented power to share our stories with more people than we ever imagined.” (pg. 159). This is so true with Facebook, and even older social media sites such as MySpace. They give the user the ability to share a highlight real of pictures, wall posts, likes and dislikes, and status updates. It allows other users into their digital world. So when it comes to coming together and trying to mobilize to seek social change, these Facebook posts can be linked to groups, blogs, twitter feeds and informative websites to help spread a message. It allows news (good, bad and false) to travel like a digital wild fire through the internet, and gives us the ability to have a large audience to view the issue. Items and issues of interest are much easier to not only be heard of but to also spread larger then before. Before social media we only had news from television and news papers, and as well as the radio. This is how we received our media. Now we have so many sources it can get somewhat overwhelming too. Social media has allowed movements to expand and issues to be heard. Its allowed for people to come together much easier and share or express an opinion easier then ever before.

Social Change

@v_kono

Social networking has greatly grown in the last couple of years. MySpace used to be a casual thing where you would log on once in a while to see what your friends were up to. Now with Facebook, it seems like we have to be connected at every second. Facebook is not just for sharing what’s new or photos of events. I sometimes use Facebook as my source of news. Social networking is so powerful that people can create social groups, and advocate for social change in their communities. Dianna Zandt says that: “Social Networking gives us unprecedented power to share our stories with more people than we ever imagined” (Zandt, 159). On Facebook, people can post their own opinions about matters that they see on the news. As I’m scrolling through my news feed, I see all sorts of people advocating for their own beliefs. Someone wants freedom in palestine, while others want changes in the supreme court rulings. People with similar opinions are welcomed to go like a page where they agree about a certain issue. This brings people together and to get active in promoting their ideas. Just like when Lisa Goldman started a Facebook page that protested against standardized testing, emphasizing that  “testing is not teaching.” Over 6,000 people joined in on the fight against the standardized tests. While I do not know of the outcome, I think that they must have had an influence on the ruling. Social networking allows for these groups to arise and bring social change.

The Power of Social Media

@cougar_sean

Much like online dating, social media allows the global population to narrow searches down to specific interests and hobbies, clubs and careers. Due to the ease of access, social media has brought individuals together who physically live worlds apart. Facebook in particular can be used as a forum to rally like-minded spirits for political cause or social revolution. Many of the so-called “Arab Uprisings” were initiated by social media websites. Rebels used the power of the Internet to “co-ordination of mass protests, communication of real-time images and up-to-date information, or processes of contagion across the Arab region” (Cottle 649). Yet at the same time, Facebook and Twitter can be used to serve “as an additional way [to] interact with friends and loved ones” (Cooper-Dzara 187). So although social media can be used in very direct political ways, it can also be used simply as an interactive way to keep in touch with those nearest and dearest to our hearts. Because we all have a level playing field on the Internet, people have a sense of community—a sense of immediacy and inclusion. This allows everyone to share their thoughts and collectively alter or support each other’s opinions. As Deanna Zandt suggests, “storytelling has been the most powerful building block for social change since the beginning of time” (1). Keeping this in mind, it is easy to see the potential social media has to completely transform this modern society’s way of communicating ideas and sharing personal experiences.

Social Media Environments

@KatieGullans

In the Palm Beach Clark County District in summer of 2009, they announced a new program that increased emphasis on standardized tests. Parents were upset by the changes. Then a substitute teacher/parent named Lisa Goldman started a Facebook page that would go against the standardized testing, emphasizing that  “testing is not teaching.” The people of the community joined together to share their ideas on what actions they should take. They ended up with more than 6000 members to fight against this(Zandt 164).

This is a good example of how social media environments can group together to share similar views on a situation  and try to make a change. This brought people to join together because they strongly disagreed with the new system of standardized testing and they could all build a trust with each other.

People can build trust and empathy with each other by sharing stories. Someone may share an experience they had and another person may find meaning in that because they’ve had a similar experience. This process can be done with or without the internet, but with it, there is a possibility for even more connections.  If one can’t seek out a group in real life, then there are many to find and join online. If people can have someone to understand how they feel and relate to, then they wouldn’t feel alone. If I didn’t understand the homework and someone said they didn’t get it either, I’d feel better because at least I wouldn’t be the only one. If the whole class didn’t understand it, they would have something in common. And this idea can build up with more people online.

Blog 11

@starlingpreston

 

According to Zandt “storytelling has been the most powerful building block for social change,” and “social networking gives us unprecedented power to share our stories” (1). Social media environments, such as the web, allow users to mobilize and seek change. One such example is “progressive activists,” (Zandt 5). Progressive activists used web technologies to inform others about unpopular stories that were not covered in regular media. So, the activists mobilized and founded “the first Independent Media Center,” which covers such unpopular stories, (Zandt 5).

Another example of how social media creates mobilization and change is through blogging. Blogging allows a variety of people to connect through common interests, creating a network of friendships. Linking sites and videos to blogs allows people to share their interests with others who may be thousands of miles away. These interests and ideas that are being shared could create a movement or mobilization concerning a certain shared opinion or topic.

As discussed by Zandt, there are certain aspects that establish a person’s social capital; which is how participation and sharing is measured in the “gift economy,” (31). These aspects, according to Tara Hunt, make someone valuable, which contributes to “the social media ecosystem,” (Zandt 31). Connections, reputation, and influence are some of the aspects that boost someone’s social capital, which makes sharing easier. One example given by Zandt is when someone thanks another person for responding to their blog, which makes people feel appreciated and more likely to share the blog. Not only did this boost reputation, but it also facilitated sharing through social media (33).

Blog 11: Social Media

@kylemcgee77

The creation of social media is truly a remarkable thing. Never before have people around the world been able to connect to one another so quickly and efficiently. The creation of social networking sites such as facebook, twitter, myspace, and various blogging sites (such as this one) have done so much more than just allow people to socialize online. “Social Networking gives us unprecedented power to share our stories with more people than we ever imagined.” (Zandt pg. 159). Through these social networking sites, people around the world can let others into their minds. People have the opportunity to let it all out there. These social networking sites are essentially public diaries. We live in a world that is full of social issues that need attention. These issues can be greatly publicized through social media. Along with the social issues come mass amounts of public opinions on the issues. This is where people truly get to know what type of person you are. Although putting your opinions out there for the world to see may spark a lot of debate (a lot of times negative), it can also do a lot of good for society. By bringing social issues to the public eye, we as a whole can produce ideas that can help resolve these issues. The potential for this to occur happens through social media. Facebook and blogging sites connect you with people that share your common interests and opinions. It is said that great minds think alike but they can also change the world.

#dtcv

Social Media

@JacobCWalton
“Sharing for the Rest of Us” is an article by Dianna Zandt. In it, the development of social media is discussed, and the way in which it revolutionized information sharing. Throughout its early days, the Internet was mainly used for advertisements (Share for the Rest of Us Zandt); however, it eventually became easier to use, and people began to apply its power more frequently. The first form of social networking was the blog, used for talking to like-minded people in a private forum. As more people began to use social media, sites like myspace and facebook turned up, allowing more public sharing. They also introduced the technology to share pictures and videos. A big draw of social media is its use as a way to start movements. Facebook has seen many movements cross its pages. Kony 2012 and the recent gay rights avatars are the most recent changes. In the case of the middle east protests, these movements can cause riots, and even start revolutions that topple governments.

Social change provided by social media

@CailinJohnson

“Social networking gives us unprecedented power to share our stories with more people than we ever imagined.” (Zandt p.159) Social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs allow people to tell their stories about whatever it is that they have gone through. By getting these stories out through social media more and more people are able to read/hear them and mobilize people to want to change the social aspect that has caused the struggle in these stories. Social media has also made it easier for people all over the country or all over the world to have access to join a particular cause. Social media also gets information out to people a lot faster than other forms of communication. If someone wanted to organize a protest or a meeting they could just post it on Facebook or their blog and everyone that is a part of that cause would instantly know about the movement and be able to be a part of it. “Perhaps the most significant contribution the Internet offers a social movement is the expansion of where activism happens.” (Cooper and Dzara p.193)  The internet provides people that live in isolated or rural areas to have access to information that they otherwise would not have. Through social media people are also able to form communities within their cause; they can read posts, gather information and ask questions. Having access to information, other members of their cause, and the stories of people, causes people to want to create social change and make a difference.

 

Blog Pot #11

@YakustaLeader4

With social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, they create a connection with everyone in the world. For issues like Occupy Wall Street and the uprises in the Middle East, as well as with the LGBT communities, all it took was a common issue that a bunch of people agreed on, wanting for something to change or to be done. Thanks to such sites, it has become a lot more easy for people to organize themselves and make a protest. For example just recently witht the “=” sign to show support for Gay Marriage and Prop 8. This was made in one day, and within a week, millions of Facebook users had it as their profile picture. All of these social media sites have similar characteristics and qualities to make these protests happen. The main reason is how quickly information can be shared or “Liked” in just a short amount of time. Back 20 years ago a person had to watch the news or read a newspaper to see what is going on across the globe or just across the United States. But then in the early 2000’s social media sites came abroad and created a way where people anywhere can connect to each other and also find out what is going on in a country, state or town. Now if someone posts something on Facebook or Twitter, it can set off a fire storm and everyone in the world can find out about it. It’s almost like the news is almost irrelivant to have now because if a person is connected enough, then they could easily find out what’s going on.